History of Ancient Civilisation

BA and MA programmes in History of Ancient Civilisation can be studied only as double-major programmes (in combination with another major).

The programmes focus in particular on the history of the nations of classical antiquity whose culture is considered one of the fundamental sources of contemporary European culture. It covers the political and socio-economic character of classical societies and states, as well as the cultural aspects and outputs of their historical development. It further focuses on the internal structure of these societies, the issue of statehood and institutions, and the main (and very influential in post-classical Europe) tendencies of political, juridical and religious thinking. Furthermore, students become acquainted with theoretical tools (methodology, resources and historiography) and they are also briefly familiarized with auxiliary sciences mostly used in historical research (epigraphy, numismatics and papyrology). They also learn the classical languages necessary for studying the primary sources.

BA programme

The programme provides students with professional (theoretical and practical) training, which is complex on the level of both acquired knowledge and mastery in handling sources. This equips the graduates with a wide cultural overview and the ability to discern the interrelations and continuity of social development in the ancient (and later) Europe and Mediterranean. A detailed overview of ancient history from the oriental empires to the late classical period forms the basis of the study plan. Students are further acquainted with the sources of our knowledge of classical history and culture, and they acquire basic information about the most important areas of culture and thinking, in which the classical civilisations excelled. Every student chooses a module (The Culture of Ancient Greece or The Culture of Ancient Rome), which introduces to him/her more thoroughly one of the classical civilisations, including the study of Greek or Latin. The student then obtains only basic knowledge from the other module.

BA graduate’s profile

The graduate of the BA programme “History of Ancient Civilisation” is well acquainted with all important aspects of the history of both classical civilisations as well as with the cultural development of one of them. He/she also possesses basic knowledge of other cultures of the ancient Mediterranean, and is thus able to understand the whole ancient era and Mediterranean space in their complexity, interrelatedness of ethnicities and cultures, and the effects of decisive social and cultural aspects. The graduate also acquires adequate knowledge of the methods of historical research and is competent in at least one classical language on the level of reading comprehension of primary sources.

MA programme

The main purpose of the MA programme is expanding of the knowledge acquired in the BA programme. The students deepen their knowledge of the classical history and culture in the broad context of the period as a whole and learn in more detail about the fortunes of the classical heritage in further European development. They also pursue more thoroughly the methodological research issues of the specific aspects of the classical civilisation. The knowledge of the other classical language is completed and the students acquire the ability to interpret sources written in the original languages. Many courses focus on specific areas of understanding the classical civilisation in order to provide the students with the qualification necessary for an expert occupation, which nowadays requires specialisation in either the Greek or the Roman part of the classical culture. A successful and motivated MA graduate may proceed with the PhD programme in Ancient History or a relative field of study.

MA graduate’s profile

The graduate is well acquainted with all aspects of the history, culture and traditions of each of the classical civilisations as well as with the cultural framework of the subsequent reception of these traditions. He/she is able to apply his/her knowledge within a wider context of the development of human civilisation both in general and regarding the foundations of contemporary European civilisation. He/she has complex methodological competence in historical research and is able to work independently with sources in both classical languages.